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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29445600">Broken Wings</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeDevanport/pseuds/ChloeDevanport'>ChloeDevanport</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bruce Wayne Has Issues, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Feelings, Comfort/Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Jason Todd Deserves Better, Jason Todd Feels, Jason Todd Needs A Hug, Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:06:51</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,354</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29445600</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChloeDevanport/pseuds/ChloeDevanport</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"He will be okay. He always is.", she said in a low tone. "I know. But he never shows when..." "When it hurts? Yeah, I know. He learned to hide the pain. But he also does it to protect us...I guess." // Bruce gets hurt on a mission and Robin and the daughter of the dark knight himself both need some comfort. In one way or another...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jason Todd/Original Character(s), Jason Todd/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Broken Wings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The cave was silent. Just the steady noises from the computer, updates about ongoing missions, and the rattling of the wings of the bats who were hiding in the dark of the rocky walls were echoing through the air. Her blue eyes were blankly staring at the blue lighted ridiculous big screen waiting for something new, waiting for a call or a text. It wasn't a mission like any else, sure her dad would've said it was, but looking back at all the stuff that happened it mostly got real bad when the villains teamed up. Sure, the Riddler and Mr. Freeze weren't in the top league but they were annoyingly creative. </p><p>She flinched when a suppressed memory of a traumatic case involving a green gas fought its way back into her conciseness. No, surely they were alright. </p><p>Her dad just wasn't the type who gave an update any other minute and Jason...well Jason wasn't allowed to text with her during a mission. A smile crossed her face when she thought of the rebellious young man who always managed to make her laugh. Even if it was at the cost of her dad's disapproving stare. Now, who was she kidding? Her father was disapproving of most things, especially of her wish to join him and Jason on patrol. It was nerve-wracking, why would he train her just like Jason but not let her out of this damn cave? </p><p>"Stupid Batman...", she mumbled and pushed back from the console. "Aren't they back yet?" She looked up. Alfred was standing behind her, a silver tray in both hands with a steaming cup of tea on it. "No and dad likes it to leave me on wait. As if I wasn't worried sick every time they head out..." "Now I think we both know your father was never the type who...is all over the place with his emotions. He has been like that since..."<br/>
"Since his parents died, I know. But...I'm his daughter and even if he doesn't want to hear it I love him and I want to know that he's okay.", she said, looking away from the old butler. Alfred sighed and set the tray aside. "And you are sure your uneasy mood has nothing to do with Master Jason being involved?" The question pierced right through her. Shit, how was it possible that Alfred always knew everything? How did he do that? </p><p>"I uhm...I don't..." "Oh it's okay Miss Aurora, you don't have to answer.", Alfred smiled and handed her the cup of tea. "Let me guess Alfie, you can see it in my eyes?", Aurora said and blew away the steam hovering above the cup. "I can see how you look at him when you think nobody notices. And to be fair, I also think your father is unaware of your blooming feelings for the young Jason.", Alfred explained calmly. "Of course he is. He rarely looks at me and if he does...it feels like he can't see me." She slumped deeper into the big chair and took a sip. </p><p>"I see...well if you allow me to say that...I always thought that he put more effort into raising the boys than you. But maybe that's because he has more trust in you, he thinks you can do it on your own." Alfred picked up the tray. "But that's not an excuse for bad parenting...", Aurora muttered and closed her eyes for a second. "Sadly it's out of my reach to correct your father on his way of bringing you up, but if that means anything to you young lady, if Master Jason is looking at you he sees you in every way." Aurora looked up and saw that the old butler was smiling. </p><p>He rarely ever smiled, but if he did it always caused a warm and comfy feeling in her chest. </p><p>"Now if you excuse me, I need to prepare dinner." "Sure Alfie, I've got this handled.", Aurora said and hid a smile in the depth of the teacup. </p><p>A minute or two passed until her mind wandered off. Was that true? Did Jason really look at her like that? She never noticed. Then on the other hand Jason was clever, clever enough to know that her dad would never allow it. For a lot of reasons. And she kind of understood why... "Maybe I should ask Dick about this...", she whispered to herself, when suddenly the loud roaring of the Batmobile crashed through the silence. </p><p>Aurora almost jolted out of the chair. Hastily she put the cup away and stood up. The black wheels screeched when the large vehicle came to a stop. Her heart started pounding when it took first five and then ten seconds for the two to emerge from the Batmobile. Aurora immediately knew that something was wrong.<br/>
"He's hurt!" Jason somehow managed to drag Bruce's body out of the seat and onto the ground. Almost desperately he looked up at Aurora who felt like she had forgotten how to breathe. "You have to help me...call Alfred or Dick or anyone! Please help me!" Aurora saw the fear in Jason's blue eyes and for a short moment, she could see the scared little boy that he still was. Then she swallowed down her own fear and tucked it away in the back for her head. </p><p>"It's okay Jason. Tell me what happened." Aurora sounded like she was Jason's older sister and not half a year younger than him but she needed that fake strength right now. Otherwise, she would also break down. "I-I don't know...we had already won and then he just collapsed." Jason took off his domino mask and ran his fingers through his black messed-up hair. "Okay, let's check for visible injuries." Aurora removed the mask from her father's face. He almost looked...peaceful.<br/>
"There's nothing...it makes no sense. His suit is made out of kevlar, they couldn't have hurt him." Jason put his fingers up to Bruce's throat to check for his pulse. "It's getting weaker. Almost as if..." "Poison.", Aurora gently took Jason's hand away and ran her fingers across her father's rough skin until she found what she was looking for. A tiny bloody spot, so small one could've almost missed it. </p><p>Almost. </p><p>"I bet he was injected with some sort of poison." "But that's Ivy's style.", Jason frowned. "Well, maybe it was more than just a team-up between these two idiots.", Aurora replied. "Come on, we'll bring him to Alfred. He will know what to do." Jason nodded and through a lot of struggling they managed to get Bruce to the elevator. Once they were out of it Aurora called for the butler as loud as she could, noticing the shivering in her own voice. She was close to the edge.<br/>
"Oh dear...", was everything Alfred said when he saw Bruce. After all the old man had seen worse. "I'll take care of him. Miss Aurora, I think Master Jason also needs some help. I'll leave him to you." And with that, he took Bruce away. They stood silent for a few seconds before Jason sniffled. </p><p>"It was my fault..." Aurora turned her head. "What? Why would you say that?" "Because it's true. I...I should have protected him..." Jason lowered his head to hide the tears gathering up in his eyes. "No, that's not your job. Dad knows the risk and yet he takes it. It's not your fault Jason. Trust me." "But I'm Robin. I'm supposed to..." "Stop." Aurora took his hand and yanked at it so he would look at her. "You did the best you could and it's not your job to keep Batman safe. You brought him here, so Alfred could fix him. That's enough, okay? You are enough." Jason blinked and some big tears rolled down his flushed cheeks. Aurora looked back, drowned in his eyes for a moment, and then faked a smile. </p><p>"Come on, I see some bruises where they don't belong. Let's change that." She turned around and took a deep breath, her heart beating faster. They straddled to the kitchen where Alfred kept a first aid kit and Aurora gently pressed Jason against the counter. "You okay? Any major injuries?", she asked and opened the drawer. "No, I think I'm fine.", Jason mumbled and took his gloves off. "Okay." Aurora opened the first aid kit and grabbed the disinfection spray. "This will burn a bit but you're a tough guy eh?" Jason's mouth twitched a bit as a smile scratched the surface. Pleased with herself Aurora sprayed Jasons bruised cheeks and he flinched a little bit.<br/>
"He will be okay. He always is.", she said in a low tone. "I know. But he never shows when..." "When it hurts? Yeah, I know. He learned to hide the pain. But he also does it to protect us...I guess." Jason nodded while Aurora packed away the kit. "You okay? I mean...he's your dad after all." </p><p>She pressed her lips together. She could lie. She did that often. But to be honest she didn't want to lie to Jason. He deserved the truth. </p><p>"No...but I also learned to hide it. I had the best teacher, you know?" Jason slowly reached for her hand. "You don't have to pretend to be okay when you're with me." </p><p>Aurora made a quiet noise of approval. And then she cracked. Like someone throwing a stone at a fragile mirror she shattered into a million pieces. Tears burned up in her eyes, tarnishing her sight. For a gruesome second, she felt completely alone. Like everything around her was dark and cold and the weight of the world crushed her beneath it. But then... as it had always been there, a hand reached out to her and laid down on her shoulder. </p><p>It was Jason's hand and he looked at Aurora with nothing but honest understanding. He wouldn't judge her, never. He knew how she felt, what kind of burden it was to always pretend you're strong when you're really not. "It's okay...come here..." No more words were needed and Aurora just slumped against Jason's body, feeling numb from all the overwhelming emotions. He covered her with his arms...wings...and it was the first time in her life that she felt safe. Like nothing could hurt her when Jason was with her. He would always be there, without question. </p><p>Aurora wept but she didn't care if that made her look weak. Jason didn't care either, he just wanted to show her that sometimes it was okay to break down and that if that happened she wouldn't be alone. "I've got you...", he whispered into her dark hair, which was even darker than Bruce's. He could feel how all that pain, that was eating her up from the inside finally surfaced. And he was here to make sure it would go away. Aurora didn't deserve that pain or that darkness that cloaked her smile. She deserved the world and nothing less. </p><p>In the end, they didn't know how long they had been standing there but time didn't matter. When the tears dried out Aurora looked up at Jason's face and was greeted with a gentle smile. A smile that made her realize...that she was in love with him. There was no other way to describe how she felt. Only...her love for him. Innocent, pure but powerful. And judging by the smile he gave her he felt the same. She didn't even have to ask, she just knew it. "So...are you gonna kiss me or what?" </p><p>The smile turned into a grin. Jason cupped her face with his hands, his thumb brushing away the tears. Clearly, he took his time, she knew that. But for the love of God, she wouldn't stop him from taking in every tiny detail. Jason's thoughts wandered off as he looked at her face. Her greyish blue eyes, her dark lashes, her slightly red cheeks, and her full lips. Every part of her felt like the most important thing in the world and right now she was his. And goddammit, Jason would never let anyone take her away. </p><p>"Come on, I'm waiting..." It was a soft whisper, framed by a smile. Aurora leaned into Jason's soft touch before he bowed down a little bit and kissed her. First, there was a taste of salt and copper, but that quickly washed away when Jason realized that this was the one thing he had wanted for so long. Her lips, pressing against his. Her hair running through his fingers. </p><p>It was everything he ever wanted and at the same time too much to take. She was overwhelming and suddenly Jason thought 'What if I'm not good enough for her?' But that doubt was destroyed when Aurora graced the short hairs in his nape and goosebumps spread all over his body like a wildfire. So what? Even if he wasn't good enough, she would never let him go. </p><p>Gasping for air they parted but they both knew that one kiss just wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough but they had years ahead and maybe just maybe that would be enough time. Jason looked her in the eye, the breaking pain in that beautiful greyish blue was gone. Not completely, that little bit of darkness would never really leave her, it was a part of her but that was okay. Jason also carried a bit of darkness in his own soul. </p><p>"I love you...dumbass.", she smiled and Jason rolled his eyes. "Really? Couldn't you just stop after the I love you?", he snarled jokingly and pinched her sides. "Nah, you're a dumbass. But you're my dumbass." Aurora ruffled his hair and stroked his chin. "For as long as possible." "As long as possible? That's not catchy though. What about...forever? That sounds way better." He looked proud of himself and Aurora gently shook her head. He really was an idiot, but also so much more. And she loved every part of him.</p>
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